Nearly a decade ago, the people
of the Alexander First Nation, a
Cree community in central Alberta,
grew concerned about their young
people. Obesity rates were rising and
children seemed less active than the
generation before.

“We felt an urgency to see how
healthy our kids were,” says Cory
Arcand, principal of the community’s
school, the Kipohtakaw Education
Centre.

They also wanted to find ways to
improve children’s health.

The nation chose to work with
Dr. Noreen Willows, an Alberta
Innovates – Health Solutions (AIHS)

researcher at the University of
Alberta specializing in nutrition. In
the past decade, they’ve focused on
identifying and removing barriers to
healthy eating.

“We really are in a partnership
where we co-research and develop
strategies,” Willows says.

Willows is one of a growing
number of researchers collaborating
with indigenous communities on
health research projects. In the
past, First Nations communities
had to contend with helicopter
research—outsiders who flew in,
gathered information and flew
away without helping the
community. Now, researchers are
working with communities on
health issues important to them,
sharing the information and
finding solutions.

At the Alexander First Nation,much of Willows’ work is onfood insecurity, the inability ofa household to buy healthy foodbecause of a lack of money. “Ingeneral, First Nations communitieshave lower family incomes than otherAlbertans,” she explains. As in manyother rural communities, healthyfoods such as fruits and vegetablesare more expensive than in cities.

“It’s costly to be healthy, especially
when there’s disparity in income,”
Arcand says.

The community decided early that
much of the research would be at
the school, a community hub. Over
the past few years, students have
taken part in many projects. They’ve
worn pedometers to track their daily
steps and taken part in a hot lunch
program that sometimes includes
wild game from traditional hunts.

Moose meat pizza is popular, Arcand
says.

Students have also grown fruits
and vegetables in their classrooms,
using indoor gardens called
EarthBoxes. This helps them learn
about nutrition and creating food.

“It’s a way of making children aware
that they don’t have to depend upon
others for their food,” Willows says.

“Part of what you eat you can provide
for yourself.” The research team
is exploring a number of different
horticultural projects to improve the
community’s access to fresh fruits
and vegetables.

Much has changed in the
community since the start of the
research partnership, Arcand says.

The school now has a nutrition and
health policy, which led to the hot
lunch program and it has removed
junk food from the canteen. Kids
are sharing information about
nutrition and physical activity with
their families. “A lot of good work
has been done as a result of the
partnerships that our nation and